2024 TelLab Carlow Ladies Intermediate Football Championship Final
Rathvilly 3-13, Kildavin/Clonegal 4-07
By Jamie Wall
The Intermediate Ladies Final was set up to be an absolute cracker. Earlier this year both teams played their part in a highly physical and entertaining draw game in the group stage of this championship. The teams were competing for the inaugural Kathleen Mullins Cup this time, a woman who was a household name and a driving force in many ways within the Carlow LGFA circle.
Nicole Roberts got the opening score of the game after just one minute, thanks to good link play by India Mernagh and Orlagh Hickey, with a clever pop pass from Mernagh finding Roberts. A dropping shot was gathered by Grace Kelly, who raised the first green flag of the game after just three minutes. Within two minutes of the first green flag, Amalita O’Donoghue raised the second by lobbing the ball into an empty net after a short kickout was intercepted.
Fia Murphy found herself in space and rifled off a shot that took a deflection on the way in, leaving Claire Murphy in the Kildavin/Clonegal goal with no chance, putting eight points between the sides. Amalita O’Donoghue added a fine point to her earlier goal after shuffling her way through, before Grace Kelly gathered a bouncing ball in the square and punted it over the bar.
Isobel Cronin kicked a free over from 30 metres out to give Kildavin/Clonegal their second score of the game. After great work from Chloe Roberts, she hand-passed to India Mernagh, who kicked a lovely right-footed effort under pressure. Fia Murphy replied with a point.
A cutting run by Lia Dunne found Chloe Roberts in space, and the Kildavin/Clonegal player made no mistake, kicking it high and over the black spot. Orlagh Hickey turned over the kickout, and quick hands from Isobel Cronin found Mernagh in a one-on-one; she took it around the keeper to finish into an empty net, making it 1-4 to 3-3 after 22 minutes. Rathvilly broke down the field, and Fia Murphy put six points between the sides.
Patient build-up play from Kildavin/Clonegal, with Cronin, Hickey, and Mernagh combining again, saw them find the net with a looping ball over the keeper, bringing it back to a three-point game with six minutes left. Both teams had chances in the final six minutes, but with solid defending, it remained 3-4 to 2-4 in favor of Rathvilly at half-time.
Kildavin/Clonegal got the first score of the second half, with Isobel Cronin finding her range within three minutes of the restart. Amalita O’Donoghue found herself in on goal, but Sarah Kirwan blocked her shot not once but twice, with the last going out for a 45. Two short kickouts were overturned, with Fia Murphy and Rachel Whelan punishing the mistakes.
Patient work by Kildavin/Clonegal led to India Mernagh kicking over on the turn. A dropping shot got a flick, but Claire Murphy made a brave save to her left, clashing with the post in the process. A driving run by Caoimhe Redmond was finished to the back of the net by Sarah Cox, leveling the game with 18 minutes left.
Rathvilly substitute Emily Lawlor didn’t need time to get into the pace of the game, firing her team back into the lead seconds after coming on. Roisin Carroll, who had been working hard since her introduction, found herself a pocket of space to level the game again with 18 minutes to play. Rathvilly worked the ball down the field thanks to a run by Catherine Dempsey, and Grace Kelly put her side back in the lead.
Rachel Whelan turned and pivoted in the square, kicking a fine score, before a run from Roisin Carroll, with quick hands from Orlagh Hickey and Isobel Cronin, found Chloe Roberts, who looped the ball in and over the keeper, putting her side one point up. Fia Murphy then leveled the game for her side before intercepting another kickout and putting her team one up with one minute remaining.
Grace Kelly and Ella Molloy kicked a point apiece in the closing moments, rounding off a three-point win for the Rathvilly side, with a final scoreline of 4-7 to 3-13.
Rathvilly: Dominique Balfe; Ciara Byrne, Orla Hanlon, Sarah Curran©; Caoimhe Deering, Maire Farrell, Ciara McGuirk; Sinead Tallon, Catherine Dempsey; Amalita O’Donoghue, Fia Murphy, Grania Murphy; Ella Molloy, Grace Kelly, Rachel Whelan.
Subs: Emily Lawlor for G Murphy (42mins),
Scorers: Fia Murphy 1-5(1f), Grace Kelly 1-3, Amalita O’Donoghue 1-1, Ella Molloy 0-1, Rachel Whelan 0-2, Emily Lawlor 0-1
Manager: Christy Connors. Mentors: Dylan Connors, Jack Carroll, Aaron Whelan.
Kildavin/Clonegal: Claire Murphy; Kim Sheil, Sarah Kirwan, Lia Dunne; Nicole Roberts, Megan Doyle, Niamh Cox; Orlagh Hickey, Aoife Carroll; Chloe Roberts, Caoimhe Redmond©, Annie Sheppard; Isobel Cronin, India Mernagh, Katelyn Sheppard.
Subs: Sarah Cox for K Sheppard 8 minutes (blood sub), K Sheppard for A Sheppard (17mins), Roisin Carroll for K Shield( H/T)
Scorers: India Mernagh 2-3, Chloe Roberts 1-1, Sarah Cox 1-0, Isobel Cronin 0-2 (1f), , Roisin Carroll 0-1.
Manager: Pat St. Ledger. Mentors: Lainey Kenny, Bernie Hickey, Olivia Mernagh.
Referee: Marion Hayden
Sideline Officials: Caoimhe McGuiness and Mia Nolan.
